Ilonggo OFWs get aid amid global conflicts

By Mariela Angella Oladive

Sixty overseas Filipino workers from Iloilo province affected by ongoing conflicts abroad received PHP 10,000 each in financial assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development through the Iloilo provincial government on June 8.

The assistance, totaling PHP 600,000, was distributed to OFWs whose livelihoods and sources of income were disrupted by conflicts involving Iran, Israel, and the United States, as well as the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, according to the Iloilo provincial government.

Provincial Administrator Raul Banias, representing Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr., said the assistance came from the DSWD’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation program.

“The governor directed the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office and the Public Employment Service Office to facilitate the assistance,” Banias said in an interview.

According to Banias, the provincial government requested financial aid to help affected OFWs and their families cope with the economic impact of the international conflicts.

The distribution of assistance was facilitated by the Provincial Public Employment Service Office in coordination with DSWD Field Office VI.

Banias said financial assistance remains available to other qualified beneficiaries, subject to validation by concerned agencies.

“Funds are available as long as they are validated to be OFWs affected by global tensions,” he said.

The assistance forms part of government efforts to provide immediate relief to overseas workers facing displacement, loss of income, or other disruptions caused by armed conflicts and geopolitical tensions abroad.

The DSWD’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation program provides medical, burial, transportation, educational, food, and financial assistance to individuals and families experiencing emergencies or crisis situations.